Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Hiking into the Grand Canyon

For all info on the Grand Canyon, go to these sites: www.kaibab.org www.nps.gov/grca www.thecanyon.com For info specific to Phantom Ranch, go to www.kaibab.org/gc/tr972/gx972501.htm The hike down to Phantom Ranch is do-able for anyone in good shape who is willing to the planning and preparation necessary for the walk. I did it myself and I'm FAR from a marathoner. You can hike down one day (five to six hours) and back out another day (ten hours). If you stay only at Phantom Ranch, and don't tent camp below the Rim, you will not need an overnight permit. If you decide to break up the trip out in two parts by staying at Indian Gardens, you will have to get a permit for THAT spot, and carry your tent and other gear both up and down. The extra effort in so doing is probably better spent just walking out of the Canyon in one day. Amongst the things you'll need to do: 1) check with your doctor about any reason you shouldn't do this. 2) decide how many nights you plan to be down in the Canyon (I recommend two nights, because it'll take a day to recover from the walk down!) 3) make reservations for Phantom Ranch. They can be fully booked eight months in advance, so be flexible on your timetable. Also note that accomodations are sex segregated dormitories, unless you really want to pay a lot. Also remember to make reservations for meals (these can be made at little as 24 hours in advance, but why not do it all in one phone call?). Also make reservations for staying within the Park the night before you hike down. 4) start exercising your leg muscles by walking up and down stairs. Continue to build up your leg strength until you can walk up and down stairs, without pain, for an HOUR. Remember, you'll be doing it for EIGHT hours at the Canyon! Keep up the exercise until a few days before you get there. 5) read and understand www.kaibab.org/gc/bc/heatkill.htm 6) buy the equipment you'll need -- a large canteen is an ABSOLUTE must! Those 20 oz water bottles won't last long in the Canyon!! Don't forget moleskin and a good pair of hiking shoes. 7) Make certain the shoes are worked in for stair climbing. A shoe that feels great on flat land can be murder as you go up and down. 8) Take along a long brimmed hat, two pairs of socks PER hiking day (one tight, one loose; so the socks rub against each other and NOT your feet), long sleeved cotton clothes, and LOTS of sunscreen (as high an SPF as you can find). There is NO shade whatsoever on the South Kaibab Trail (recommended for going down). 9) Start as early in the day as you can. Before dawn is not out of the question! This is why you must have reservations for the night before! 10) If you take the South Kaibab down and the Bright Angel up (recommended), remember that their trailheads are three miles apart, so you must either use two cars OR start the trip with the shuttle to SK trailhead. Don't count on using the shuttle after hiking out of the Bright Angel -- you may arrive back up after it stops, and then you'll have another three miles to hike just when you thought your trip was over!